Dispensing cap for squeeze bottle containing liquid products



DISPENSING CAP FOR SQUEEZE BOTTLE CONTAINING LlQUID PRODUCTS Filed April 28, 1965 24 I CkmEZM/VzZ/er United States Patent 3,262,613 DISPENSING CAP FOR SQUEEZE BOTTLE CON- TAINING LIQUID PRODUCTS Christian F. Miller, Palos Park, Ill.,' assignor to Formold Plastics, Inc., Blue Island, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Apr. 28, 1965, Ser. No. 451,401

4 Claims. (Cl. 222522) This invention relates generally to the closure art and more particularly to closures incorporating a slidably actuatable dispensing valve.

Closures incorporating a cap and a valve slidably disposed in the cap have been made heretofore, sliding of the valve being arranged to expose a lateral port selectively above the top edge of the cap for achieving a dispensing action. However, one common scheme for retaining the valve in place involves flaring its lower end and making the flared end resilient by means of a longitudinal slot. Such an arrangement does not provide positive retention and oftentimes leads to exasperating disassembly of the parts at the moment when the proper operation is most desired. Another common arrangement calls for a radially enlarged, tapered plug on the entering end of the valve for use as a retention member; but intact tubular or solid plugs have low radial resiliency; and accordingly, the amount of interference and hence the efliciency of the locking actionachieved by the plugs is limited to the size of plug that can be forced through the cap part without permanent deformation.

An important object of the present invention is therefore to overcome the aforementioned deficiencies of the prior art and to provide a dispensing cap arrangement in which the parts, once assembled, remain positively connected.

A more general object of the invention is to provide a new and improved dispensing cap arrangement.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a dispensing cap arrangement which affords a highly effective seal of the container that it closures.

A further object of the invention is to provide a dispensing cap arrangement which is easy to make and assemble.

These and other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following descriptions.

A dispensing arrangement in accord with the invention includes a cap element and a valve element adapted for assembly with the cap element. The cap element includes a body portion having mounting means for securing the arrangement to a container and a sleeve portion having a bore opening into the body portion. The valve element, on the other hand, includes upper and lower abutrnent portions having stop surfaces that are engageable respectively with the opposite ends of the sleeve portion of the cap element, the valve element additionally including a stem portion of greater length than the sleeve portion. This stem portion is connected between the abutment portions and is slidably received in the sleeve portion, the lower abutment portion and the stem portion having a common channel opening laterally through the stem portion to define a dispensing orifice andopening through a wall of the lower abutment portion to pass material that is to be dispensed to that orifice.

The invention, as to both its construction and its mode of operation, will be better understood with reference to the following disclosure and drawing forming a part thereof, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a squeeze bottle container having assembled therewith a dispensing cap arrangement constructed in compliance with the invention,

3,262,613 Patented July 26, 1966 the dispensing cap arrangement being illustrated in its dispensing position;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 2 -2 of FIG. 1 and including a broken line showing of the dispensing cap arrangement in its closed position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective View of the valve element used in the dispensing cap arrangement of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a further enlarged view of the cap element and Valve element of the dispensing cap arrangement of the invention, these two elements being shown in disassembled state, the cap element being illustrated in section and the valve element in elevation;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4 to show operation of the flow-directing surface;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view similar to the showing of FIG. 5 but illustrating a modified embodiment of the flow-directing surface; and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to the showing of FIGS. 5 and 6 but illustrating a further modified embodiment of the flow-directing surface.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, specifically to FIGS. 1 and 2, a dispensing cap arrangement constructed in compliance with the invention is illustrated generally by the numeral 20, dispensing cap arrangement 20 being shown assembled to a container 22. In the illustrated embodiments, the container 22 is a squeeze bottle container fabricatedfrom a suitable, flexible, inert material such as a polyolefin resin, including both polyethylene and polypropylene. In order tofacilitate a secure attachment of the dispensing cap arrangement, the squeeze bottle container 22 is fashioned with a neck 24; and externally, a helical rib 26 is raised progressing downwardly from a lip 28 to define a thread, as is well shown in FIG. 2.

The dispensing cap arrangement 20 includes a cap element 30 and a valve element 32. The cap element includes an inverted cup-shaped body portion 34 and an upstanding sleeve portion 36. The body portion 34 is advantageously provided with mounting means for securing the cap element to the container 22; and specifically, a helical rib 38 is raised from the interior sidewall of the body portion 34 in a pitch complemental to the pitch provided in the helical rib 26 whereby progressively to engage the same. In addition, an annular rib 40 is raised from the undersurface of the roof of body portion 34 in alignment with the lip 28 to form a sealing bead deformably engaging the lip 28 upon aggressive engagement of the cap element 30 and the threaded neck of container 22. The external surface of cap element 30 is desirably formed with a series of vertical depressions or flutes 42, as is shown in FIG. 1, to facilitate manual grasping of the cap element and manipulating it into progressive engagement With the neck of the container 22.

The sleeve portion 36 of cap element 30 is fashioned with a central cylindrical bore 44 opening into the body portion 34 in one direction and opening upwardly and outwardly in the opposite direction, as is shown in FIG.

2. Cooperatively, the valve element 32 comprises a cylindrical, upper abutment portion 46 and an inverted, frusto-conical lower abutment portion 48, these abutment portions being spaced axially apart to be interconnected by a stem portion 50 which is selected to be of a greater length than the sleeve portion 36 of the cap element. Additionally, the abutment portions 46 and 43 are fashioned with parallel, confronting stop surfaces 52 and 54 respectively. These stop surfaces define square, substantially annular shoulders extending radially outwardly from the bore 44 to be engagea ble respectively with the opposite ends of sleeve portion 36 in order to establish a closed and a dispensing condition of the valve element 32. In the dispensing condition, the valve element takes the position shown in solid outline in FIG. 2 with the stop surface 54 engaging the lower end of the sleeve portion .36 in a plane common with the underside of the roof of body portion 34. The closed condition of valve element 32 is illustrated in broken outline in FIG. 2 Where stop surface 52 is illustrated in engagement with the upper end of sleeve portion 36. F or convenience in manipulating the valve element 32 between its closed and its dispensing conditions, a head 56 is provided on the upper end of abutment portion 46, head 5 6 extending radially beyond the abutment portion 46 to define a graspable formation for use in easily raising the valve element into its dispensing condition. In addition, the head 56 is fashioned with a spherical depression or recess 58 having a contour complemental to the contour of a fingertip whereby to receive a persons finger conveniently and comfortably in directing the valve element downwardly into its closed condition.

Description of the dispensing passageway through the valve element '32 will now be given with reference to FIGS. 2-4. 'Structurally, it will be seen that the lower abutment portion 48 and the stem portion 50 of valve element 32 have a common channel opening laterally through the stern portion and opening through one wall of the abutment portion. More specifically, the stem portion 50 and the abutment portion 48 are provided with a common axial bore 60 which penetrates from the lower end of abutment portion 48 through the entire length of stem portion 50 and may even penetrate partially into the upper abutment portion 46. Cooperating with the bore 60 in developing the dispensing channel or passageway is a longitudinally elongated slot 62 which opens the bore 60 radially through the walls of stem portion 50 and abutment portion 48. For purposes to be described more fully hereinafter, the channel which is defined by bore 60 and slot 62 has an upper end surface 64 which defines the axially inner end of slot 62 and which is spaced beneath the upper abutment portion 46. As will also become -more apparent hereinafter, the cooperating bore 60 and slot 62 act to define a dispensing orifice and a conduit for passing material to be dispensed to that orifice.

In compliance with an important feature of the invention, the cap arrangement 20 is directed to present an effective seal against the leakage of the contents of container 22 in both the closed and dispensing conditions of the valve element 32. structurally, the valve element 32 is provided with a radially outwardly projecting circumferential rib 66 which .is disposed encompassing the stem portion 50 between the upper abutment portion 46 and the end surface 64 of slot 62. This rib fits interferingly and deformably into the upper end of sleeve portion 36 when the valve element is situated in its closed condition with stop surface 52 abutting the upper end of the sleeve portion. cooperatively, the stem portion 50 is fashioned with an outer wall 68 that tapers from a larger dimension at the lower abutment portion 48 to a smaller dimension at the upper abutment portion 46. The larger dimension of this tapered outer wall is selected to be somewhat greater than the inner dimension of bore 44 in sleeve portion 36. Thus, interference is developed between the outer wall of sleeve portion 50 and the inner wall of bore 44 when the valve element is disposed in its dispensing condition, this interference sealing the engaged surfaces and preventing leaking of fluid material therebetween. Cooperating resiliency is established in the stem portion 50 by means of the confluent bore 60 and slot 62.

In compliance with another important feature of the invention, the components of the dispensing cap arrangement 20 are characterized by a positively preserved assembled condition. For this purpose, the stop surfaces 52 and '54 are parallel and are disposed in planes normal to the longitudinal axis of the valve element 32. Furthermore, the stop surface 52 is arranged to be of sufiiciently greater radial extent than the bore 44 to prevent passage of the valve element through the bore 44 under all circumstances short of actual rupture of the parts. Similarly, the tapered wall 68 serves to bias the lower stop surface 54 radially outwardly to preserve positive engagement of such stop surface with the lower end of sleeve portion 36 even when considerable pulling force is exerted on the valve element at its head 56. This coaction of the tapered wall 68, the encompassing wall of bore 44 and stop surface 5'4 prevents extraction of the valve element 32 through the stem portion 36 once the parts have been assembled.

While molding of a resinous plastic part with a tapered wall terminating at its larger end in a substantially square shoulder, such as the wall 68 which terminates in the stop surface 54, has heretofore been impractical in a device of the type described herein, the provision of confluent bore 60 and slot 62 in valve element 32 permits radial contraction or squeezing of the part for its extraction from the mold.

In compliance with still another feature of the invention, the components of dispensing cap arrangement 26 are characterized by the ease of their initial assembly. With reference to FIG. 4, the taper of the inverted, frusto-conical abutment portion 48 is adapted to lead the valve element into the sleeve portion of the cap element. Additionally, the inner edge of the upper end of sleeve portion 36 is relieved with a radius for cooperation with the shape of abutment portion. 48 in facilitating the initial assembly. As will be recognized, the resiliency established by the confluent bore 66 and slot 62 permit compression of the valve element in the vicinity of stop surface 54 without permanently deforming the member.

From the foregoing descriptions, it will be apparent that the valve element 32 is readily assembled to the cap element 30 by urging the lower end of the frustoconical abutment portion 48 into the bore 44 of the sleeve portion 36 until the stop shoulder 54 emerges from the lower end of the bore to snap outwardly into locking position under the influence of the resiliently stored force produced by constriction of slot 62. In this assembled condition, the relatively greater length of stem portion 50 permits a sliding action of the valve element relative to the sleeve portion of cap element 32. When the valve element is drawn upwardly with respect to the cap element, the upper end of slot 62 is exposed to define a dispensing orifice, fluid material previously filled into the squeeze bottle container 22 passing to this orifice through the confluent bore 60 and slot 62. When the cap arrangement 2% is attached to a container of the squeeze bottle type, the fluid substance in the container will ordinarily be dispensed under a pressure developed by constricting the walls of the container. Under such dispensing, the fluid substance filling into the confluent bore 60 and slot 62 is under pressure; and it has been found that the edge surface 64 serves to direct this pressurized fluid. As is shown in FIG. 5, a pressurized fluid substance '72 constituting the contents of container '22 exits from the valveelement 32 in the direction of arrow 74 parallel with the edge surface 64.

Modified embodiments of this flow-directing edge surface are shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 where like numerals have been used to designate like parts, the suflix letter a being employed to distinguish the elements associated with the embodiment of FIG. 6 and the suflix letter b being utilized to discriminate those elements associated with the embodiment of FIG. 7. In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the edge surface 64a is inclined downwardly to direct the flow of material downwardly and outwardly in the direction of arrow 74a and parallel with the orientation of the edge surface. When the flow-directing edge surface is inclined in this downward manner, it is especially advantageous to arrange sleeve portion 36 of the cap element to upstand from the body portion 34. thereof whereby to permit the dispensed material to clear the outer periphery of the body portion.

In the embodiment'of FIG. 7, the flow-directing edge surface 641) is inclined upwardly to direct the flow of pressurized fluid upwardly and outwardly from the cap element in the direction of arrow 74]) and parallel with the edge surface. When the flow-directing edge surface is inclined upwardly as is shown-in FIG. 7, the sleeve portion 36 may be partially or totally depressed beneath the upper surface of the body portion 34 of the cap element if desired.

Fabrication of the components of the dispensing cap arrangement 20 is advantageously achieved by a plastics molding operation and materials for fabricating the cap element are advantageously those which are relatively rigid such as polystyrene resins and acrylonitrile-butadienestyrene copolymers. Suitable materials for fabricating the valve element are relatively flexible and resilient such as for example the polyolefin resins including polypropylene and polyethylene.

The specific examples herein shown and described are to be considered as being primarily illustrative. Various changes beyond those described will, no doubt occur to those skilled in the art; and such changes are to be understood as forming a part of this invention insofar as they fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

The invention is claimed as follows:

element, including a body portion having mounting means for securing the cap element to a container and including a sleeve portion having a bore opening into said body portion; and a valve element adapted for assembly with said cap element, including upper and lower abutment portions having stop surfaces engageable respectively with the opposite ends of said sleeve portion to establish a closed and a dispensing condition of said valve element, said valve element further including a stern portion of greater length than said sleeve portion connectably disposed between said abutment portions and slidably received in said sleeve portion, said lower abutment portion and said stem portion having a common channel opening laterally through said stem portion to define a dispensing orifice and opening through a wall of said lower abutment portion to pass material to-be dispensed to said orifice, said channel having an upper end surface spaced from said upper abutment portion, said stem portion having a radially outwardly projecting rib disposed in encompassing relationship between said end surface and said upper abutment portion and said stem portion further having an outer wall tapered from a larger dimension at said lower abutment portion to a smaller dimension at said upper abutment portion, so constructed and arranged as to bias the stop surface of said lower abutment portion radially outward-1y to preserve the assembled condition of said cap and valve elements and to cooperate with said rib in defining upper and lower seals operative respectively in the closed and dispensing conditions of said valve element.

2. A dispensing cap arrangement comprising: a cap element, including a body portion having mounting means for securing the cap element to a container and including a sleeve portion having a bore opening into said body portion; and a valve element adapted for assembly with said cap element, including upper and lower abutment portions having parallel stop surfaces disposed normal to the longitudinal axis of said valve element to be posi- .tively engageable respectively with the opposite ends of said sleeve portion to establish a closed and a dispensing condition of said valve element, said valve element further including a stem portion of greater length than said sleeve portion connectably disposed between said abutment portions and slidably received in said sleeve port-ion, said lower abutment portion and said stem portion having a common channel opening laterally through said stem portion to define .a dispensing orifice and opening through a wall of said lower abutment portion to pass material to be dispensed to said orifice, said channel having an upper end surface spaced from said upper abutment portion, said stem portion having an outer wall tapered from a larger dimension at said lower abutment portion to a smaller dimension at said upper abutment portion, so constructed and arranged as to bias the stop surface of said lower abutment portion radially outwardly to preserve the assembled condition of said cap and valve elements.

3. A dispensing cap arrangement comprising: a cap element, including a body portion having mounting means for securing the cap element to a container and including a sleeve portion having a bore opening into said body portion; and a valve element adapted for assembly with said cap element, including upper and lower abutment portions having stop surfaces engageable respectively with the opposite ends of said sleeve portion to establish a closedand a dispensing condition of said valve element, said valve element further including a stem portion of greater length than said sleeve portion connectably disposed between said abutment portions and slidably received in said sleeve portion, said lower abutment portion and said stem portion having a common channel opening laterally through said stem portion to define a dispensing orifice and opening through a wall of 'said lower abutment portion to pass material to be dispensed to said orifice, said channel having an upper end surface spaced from said upper abutment portion and angulated with respect to a transverse plane of said stem portion to define a flow-directing means, said stem portion having a radially outwardly projecting rib disposed in encompassing relationship between said end surface and said upper abutment portion and said stem portion further having an outer wall tapered from a larger dimension at said lower abutment portion to a smaller dimension at said upper abutment portion, so constructed and arranged as to bias the stop surface of said lower abutment portion radially. outwardly to preserve the assembled condition of said cap and valve elements and to cooperate with said rib in defining upper and lower seals operative respectively in the closed and dispensing conditions of said valve element.

4. A dispensing cap arrangement comprising: a cap element, including a body portion having mounting means for securing the cap element to a container and including a sleeve portion having a bore opening into said body portion, said sleeve portion further having a lip at its outer end, said lip including a relieved inner edge for leading the lower end of a valve element into said bore; and a valve element adapted for assembly with said cap element, including upper and lower abutment portions having parallel stop surfaces disposed normal to the longitudinal axis of said valve element to be positively engageable respectively with the opposite ends of said sleeve portion to establish a closed and a dispensing condition of said valve element, said valve element further including a stem portion of greater length than said sleeve portion connectably disposed between said abutment portions and slidably received in said sleeve portion, said lower abutment portion and said stem portion having a common channel opening laterally through said stem portion to define a dispensing orifice and opening through a wall of said lower abutment portion to pass material to be dispensed to said orifice, said channel having an upper end surface spaced from said upper abutment portion and angulated with respect to a transverse plane of said stem portion to define a flow-directing means, said stem portion having a radially outwardly projecting rib disposed in encompassing relationship between said end surface and said upper abutment portion and said stern portion further having an outer wall ta ered from a larger dimension at said lower abutment portion to a smaller dimension at said upper abutment portion, so constructed and arranged as to bias the stop surface of said lower abutment portion radially outwardly to preserve the assembled condition of said cap and valve elements and to cooperate with said rib in defining upper and lower seals operative respectively in the closed and dispensing conditions of said valve element, said lower abutment portion having an inverted conical shape cooperating with said relieved inner edge for leading said valve element into said bore.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS E 2,919,057 12/1959 Halpern 222522 X 3,085,721 4/1963 Goldstein 222-492 X 3,197,091 7/ 1965 Millard 222-522 5 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,194,634 5/1959 France. 490,070 1/ 1954 Italy.

10 RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner.

STANLEY H. TOLLBERG, Examiner. 

1. A DISPENSING CAP ARRANGEMENT COMPRISING: A CAP ELEMENT, INCLUDING A BODY PORTION HAVING MOUNTING MEANS FOR SECURING THE CAP ELEMENT TO A COUNTER AND INCLUDING A SLEEVE PORTION HAVING A BORE OPENING INTO SAID BODY PORTION; AND A VALVE ELEMENT ADAPTED FOR ASSEMBLY WITH SAID CAP ELEMENT, INCLUDING UPPER AND LOWER ABUTMENT PORTIONS HAVING STOP SURFACES ENGAGEABLE RESPECTIVELY WITH THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID SLEEVE PORTION TO ESTABLISH A CLOSED AND A DISPENSING CONDITION OF WITH VALVE ELEMENT, SAID VALVE ELEMENT FURTHER INCLUDING A STEM PORTION OF GREATER LENGTH THAN SAID SLEEVE PORTION CONNECTABLY DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID ABUTMENT PORTIONS AND SLIDABLY RECEIVED IN SAID SLEEVE PORTION, SAID LOWER ABUTMENT PORTION AND SAID STEM PORTION HAVING COMMON CHANNEL OPENING LATERALLY THROUGH SAID STEM PORTION TO DEFINE A DISPENSING ORIFICE AND OPENING THROUGH A WALL OF SAID LOWER ABUTMENT PORTION TO PASS MATERIAL TO BE DISPENSED TO SAID ORIFICE, SAID CHANNEL HAVING AN UPPER END SURFACE SPACED FROM SAID UPPER ABUTMENT PORTION, SAID STEM PORTION HAVING A RADIALLY OUTWARDLY PROJECTING RIB DISPOSED IN ENCOMPASSING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SAID END SURFACE AND SAID UPPER ABUTMENT PORTION AND SAID STEM PORTION FURTHER HAVING AN OUTER WALL TAPERED FROM A LARGER DIMENSION AT SAID LOWER ABUTMENT PORTION TO A SMALLER DIMENSION AT SAID UPPER ABUTMENT PORTION, SO CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED AS TO BIAS THE STOP SURFACE OF SAID LOWER ABUTMENT PORTION RADIALLY OUTWARDLY TO PRESERVE THE ASSEMBLY CONDITION OF SAID CAP AND VALVE ELEMENTS AND TO COOPERATE WITH SAID RIB IN DEFINING UPPER AND LOWER SEALS OPERATIVE RESPECTIVELY IN THE CLOSED AND DISPENSING CONDITIONS OF SAID VALVE ELEMENT. 